Changes happen to everyone
by komoriuta
Summary: It's been a while since the defeat of Kagato,everyone is living their normal lives or at least trying to....Hi everyone, after an almost four year hiatus I have finally updated so chapter three up. Will update more frequently so keep reading.
1. Start of a new beginning

This is my first fanfic but I know the drill so here's my disclaimer: I do not own Tenchi or any of the other characters in the series, I wish I did but I don't.

This fic is set a few months after the Kagato incident in the Tenchi Universe series, it is my version of what happens in the series after Tenchi kills Kagato and everyone returns to earth. The story centres on the changes in all the characters since the defeat of Kagato.

**Changes happen to everyone**

**The start of a new beginning**

Spring had arrived, meaning most of the day for the occupants of the Masaki household were spent doing chores outside. It was the season of harvesting crops as well as being well known for the large amounts of cherry blossoms, which could be seen littering the ground outside the house as more gently tumbled from the trees.

"It's so beautiful, earth reminds me so much of Jurai at times like these." Sasami exclaimed to herself, having caught sight of the scene from the kitchen window as she started adding dirty dishes from lunch into the soapy water in the sink. While watching the falling cherry blossoms, she mentally went through all the events that had occurred during the two years of her stay on earth, from thoughts of the incidents with Dr Clay and Kagato to happier memories such as the time when the other girls participated in the swimsuit competition. Although at the time the reality of their situation was far from perfect, now looking back Sasami couldn't help but smile at how comical it's become having been on the run from Juraian special forces and yet being able to enjoy themselves at the same time. These thoughts clouded her mind along with the reminder that she was on earth and missing Jurai.

Sasami was still deep in thought when a voice interrupted her daydream,

"Um Sasami?" She turned round to see Tenchi leaning against the door frame wearing his usual working attire of a plain white t-shirt and brown jogging bottoms with a willow basket strapped to his back.

"Oh, hello Tenchi! Sorry, I didn't notice you were there, was you saying something?" Sasami asked being somewhat startled by his sudden presence.

Tenchi flashed her a smile and self-consciously scratched his head before responding, "That's alright, I was only wondering if you would like me to bring back a few carrots for tonight's dinner."

"That would be great, thank you," the princess replied cheerily before returning to her previous task, this time discarding her day dream and concentrating on scrubbing the dishes in the sink.

Before Tenchi turned to leave, curiosity took the better of him and he stayed looking at her back and asked "Just out of interest Sasami, you seemed quite distracted, is there something on your mind?"

She hesitated for a moment before answering, "It's nothing really, I was just thinking of everything we've been through in the last two years. For a moment I forgot the reason why I left Jurai to return to earth. Looking at all the pretty blossoms falling from the trees reminds me of how much I miss my home planet." She answered with a hint of sadness while at the same time trying to get rid of an irritating tea stain on the inside of one of the cups.

Hearing the tone of her voice, Tenchi attempted to comfort her "You know Sasami, I'll understand if you decide to leave, we'll all miss you... but if it's what you want..." he said trailing off, not knowing what else to say.

"Thanks Tenchi, and I want to stay, but sometimes I can't help feeling slightly homesick. Thank you for your understanding." She replied still with her back to him only this time her voice seemed happier than before. After hearing this, Tenchi walked up to her and placed a reassuring hand on the princess's shoulder before turning to exit the room. Once he had left, her attention was quickly caught by a loud thud coming from the living area followed by a "Please Ryoko I have a lot of work to do."

"But Tenchiiiiiii..." Came the space pirate's pleading voice. Sasami turned just in time to see Tenchi running out of the house, his face as red as a tomato and in such a hurry that he had to grab his shoes on the way out not bothering to put them on, leaving a stunned Ryoko sitting cross legged on the floor. The space pirate was wearing her blue and yellow striped dress with the tail hanging limply from disappointment. Half shaking her head with a hand to her mouth to suppress her laughter, the young princess turned back once again to the sink this time determined to finish her work so that she could start on preparing dinner.

"Sasami when will dinner be ready?" The princess turned round just in time to see Ryoko float into the kitchen and perch on the edge of a worktop, she had just finished her chores and was feeling peckish having been turned down by Tenchi... again. By now Sasami's eyebrow started to twitch ever so slightly out of irritation, having been interrupted for a second time.

"I'm sorry Ryoko but I still have a few things to finish before I start cooking." The princess said calmly, seeing Ryoko's face drop in a mixture of hunger and boredom, a thought struck her. "Well dinner won't be ready in a while, Ryoko, so why don't you go lend Ayeka a hand at the shrine. I'm sure she'll appreciate you helping her to sweep up those cherry blossoms." Sasami suggested, tilting her head to indicate the growing pale pink and white piles that could be seen gathering on the ground through the kitchen window.

Although the thought of clearing blossoms from the shrine did not strike Ryoko as anything interesting or fun for that matter, it was however something to keep her mind off of her growing hunger and was an alternative to being bored. "Fine, I'll go give PRINCESS PRISSY PANTS a hand but don't think she'll be grateful for it."

"Thank you Ryoko." Sasami replied softly just as the space pirate teleported out of the kitchen with a sound similar to that of leaves rustling in the wind.

While Sasami once again turned back to face the sink in an attempt to finish washing the dishes, her thoughts went on another wonder as she thought of how much she and the others had changed during the time they had spent together. For instance she noticed that lately Ryoko had been less disputable towards Ayeka and visa versa, it was true that they still had their petty quarrels from time to time but for the most part it seemed that the recent events had somehow brought the both of them to a mutual understanding with each other.

When Sasami finally came out of her thoughts, she looked down at the sink and found it empty with nothing but her hands immersed in the luke warm water. The neat rows of clean crockery and metal eating utensils on the draining rack was evidence that somehow while deep in thought, the young princess had managed to wash all of the dishes and cutlery.

Smiling to herself, relieved that she had finally finished a task with little thought she set about gathering up the necessary equipment and ingredients to prepare dinner.

"Miya, miya!!" Came an all too familiar voice just a few inches away from Sasami's feet. The princess bent down to pick up the furry brown cabbit in both hands. One look at Ryo-oki told her the reason for her friend's venture into the kitchen. Sasami smiled and shook her head before speaking, "Sorry Ryo-oki, I haven't got any carrots at the moment but Tenchi will be back in a couple of hours with a whole basket of them." The cabbit's eyes clouded over with tears at knowing she'll have to wait a lengthy amount of time for her favourite food to arrive before letting out a quiet and sad "Miya."

----

As Ryoko teleported to the top of the shrine steps, she stared at the collecting heaps of blossoms gathering on the stone tiled ground.

_God, Ayeka, what have you been doing for the past hour?_ The space pirate thought in exasperation as she scanned the area for the first princess of Jurai.

Having no luck in locating Ayeka, Ryoko walked towards the edge of the landing and gasped at the beautiful scenery below her. For the first time since the defeat of their latest foe, Ryoko truly took in the appearance of her surroundings.

From the space pirate's vantage point, the view was like looking down at an endless path of puffy white clouds in a baby pink sky. Everything was white and pink with the occasional green speck that was quickly replaced as more cherry blossoms fell from the trees.

_Now I see why Sesami enjoys being on earth so much during the autumn, the view from up here resembles the fields on Jurai._ Ryoko thought while still staring at the replica of heaven below.

Thinking about Jurai made the space pirate remember her reason for returning to this planet she now called home and why she had left in the first place. Without any intention to do so, Ryoko brought her hand down to her abdomen placing it on the spot where the wound inflicted upon her by their enemy once was. As if on cue, the feelings from that night escaped to the surface of Ryoko's mind. For the past three months, since her return to earth, she had used all of her strength and will to push the feelings of hurt and pain both emotionally and physically from the Kagato incident to the far depths of her mind. Now without warning they return with a vengeance, trying to haunt her just as she thought she was on the verge of recovery.

Ryoko once again felt the pain in her heart as she watched Ayeka talking to Tenchi, they were so close to each other. The space pirate had never been at such a short distance from Tenchi before because every time she had tried he would push her away. The pain doubled in intensity as she saw the princess weep and Tenchi comforting her. Tears were aching to escape but Ryoko refused to shed them.

Just as she thought she could take no more of this torture, the image of Tenchi and Ayeka was quickly replaced by the terrifying face of Kagato. The fear inside of Ryoko increased as realization of where she was struck her.

_Please not again!!!_ She begged mentally as a blast of energy was released from Kagato's palm directing itself at her. The attack was too fast to dodge –just like it had been the first time it happened- as the space pirate felt something similar to an electric shot pierce her abdomen and travel around the rest of her body. The unbearable pain seemed to wrap itself around her gradually pulling her in to its' dark and painful embrace as she tried to fight back but to no avail. She stayed routed to the spot she was standing in, having to endure the agony with no means of escape.

_Get a hold of yourself, Ryoko; this is nothing but a memory, it is not happening._ She thought in between the floods of pain and torment going through her mind and body.

No matter how hard she tried to reassure herself, the pain would not stop. Instead it increased until Ryoko ceased her struggle for control and let out a deafening scream.

"Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!"

Birds scattered from the trees around the Masaki residence as people living miles away gathered in the streets to discuss the identity of the strange noise they had just heard.

To be continued.

Hope you enjoyed that first chapter, I promise to update as soon as I can. If you haven't guessed yet, I am indeed a Ryoko fan but I'll try to be nice to Ayeka in this fic too. Please review (even if it's to flame me or to criticise my fic). Comments are needed.

P.s. Thanx to Ryan for correcting the spelling of Sasami for me, I was never very good at that. Oh and changed the opening cos realised cherry blossoms don't fall in autumn so thanks to Golden Banana I have corrected it.


	2. Revelations of one self

Hi, I'm back with the next chapter of changes happen to everyone!!!! I've finally updated! Yeah!!! N e ways like always I know the drill so here's my disclaimer: I do not own Tenchi and friends and like all devoted Tenchi fans I wish I did but I don't, so there! Ok now onto the fic.

**Revelations of one self**

The sun was still high in the sky with the temperature being hot with a slight breeze as Ayeka sat on the lush blossom covered grass for a well-deserved break.

The princess was exhausted and sweating although she had discarded her usual attire and instead wore a pair of pale blue shorts, a white short sleeved t-shirt and a pair of baby blue open toe sandals. Her hair was pulled into a single ponytail rather than two in an attempt to keep her neck cool.

She had spent half an hour fighting with the broom in a feeble attempt to wrestle the piles of cherry blossoms into plastic bags. After another half hour with little improvement, the princess discarded the broom with a loud bang as it hit the ground - nearly splitting the wood of its handmade handle in half-, dashed the bags onto the floor and turned sharply towards the shrine steps, heading for the forest to escape her responsibilities and recover from her ordeal.

_Oh the weather is so charming in this season... pity I do not have time to enjoy it, there is still so much work to do. All that bending cannot possibly be healthy for one such as myself_. The princess thought, with her head turned up facing the sky as she leant against the trunk of a large tree with her back straight to regain her posture.

While she stayed sitting against the tree, Ayeka tried to recall the reason why she had been landed in her present predicament in the first place.

_Oh that wretched demon and her 'democratic ways', I should have known that that woman would have found a way to cheat in her 'fair way to chose who did what chore'_. The princess thought bitterly with her head resting in both hands as the memory of her drawing the shortest of the four straws replayed itself in her mind.

FLASH BACK

It was an hour after lunch and everyone aside from Sasami, Ayeka and Washu were sitting in the living room watching glimpses of various programmes as the remote was being taken, claimed and reclaimed from person to person.

The scientist had retreated into her lab to work on a 'very important experiment' shortly after the meal while the two princesses set about clearing the table.

Ayeka watched the little spectacle as she and Sasami paced in and out of the kitchen collecting the dishes from lunch.

The older princess had to stifle a giggle when she saw Ryoko and Mihoshi each attempt to clamber over the other as they struggled to reach the control that had some how found it's way under the sofa. The awkward expression on both Tenchi and Kiyone's face as they stood near the far end of the room staring at the pair tussling with each other on the floor over the silly contraption only added to the amusement of the situation.

As Ayeka was heading into the kitchen with a cup in both hands, she saw Sasami walking out with her mouth set in a thin line, hands on hips and her eyebrows raised in frustration. Ayeka could not recall ever seeing her sister display any sign of any emotion other than happiness and joy before their return to earth.

_My dear Sasami, how you have changed during this short space of time_. The older princess thought as she watched her sister approach the squirming pair and made a point of clearing her throat loud enough for the duo to hear over the string of rude remarks and clueless retorts being shared between the two.

When she had succeeded in achieving their undivided attention, Sasami's features relaxed and softened until her normal kind and caring facial expression had replaced the more intimidating one she had adopted moments before.

"Please stop fighting, we do not want to be breaking yet another tv now do we?"

Ayeka smiled at this statement as she remembered the look of utter shock on Nobuyuki's face when he came into the house shortly after work to find the thirty-four inch television set lying in the middle of the room –smashed to an almost unrecognisable pulp- amongst shards of broken glass which in a past life were an expensive set of wine glasses he had received for Christmas as an over generous gift from his boss. Ryoko and Ayeka –both semi conscious- were lying on either side of the rubble making it obvious as to whom the perpetrators were.

"Why would we want to do that? I like watching tv." Mihoshi's high- pitched, absent-minded question brought the princess's mind back to the present. The Galaxy Police officer had had no idea that it was a rhetorical question.

Ayeka let out a sigh as she wondered –not for the first time- how such a dim witted female such as Mihoshi –who had to have instructions on boiling water IN A KETTLE- could have possibly passed the exams and training to become a first class detective let alone the partner of Kiyone who seemed to be the only one out of the two who used her brain at all.

If Sasami had noticed the puzzled look engraved on the dense detectives face then she had chosen to ignore it and continued to speak in the same soft and gentle voice she had used before the interruption had occurred.

"There's still a few hours until dinner, maybe the four of you would be willing to help me with a few household tasks?" The young princess asked while looking at the four females occupying the room and handing Ryoko a list of the chores she wanted them to complete.

The space pirate, realising that Tenchi had been left out of Sasami's request-and not knowing why- asked -what she thought would be a stupid question with an obvious answer- "Sasami, as much as we all LOVE Tenchi, I don't think it's fair for us to do all the chores while he does nothing." Having voiced the unspoken question of the other girls, the space pirate received a few nods of acknowledgement and support from the other women in the room.

The prince of Jurai just stood there scratching his head in uncomfortable silence.

Everyone knew by Sasami's unchanging expression that she had a sensible reason for eliminating Tenchi from her list of –unwilling-volunteers.

"Tenchi already has responsibility of the carrot fields and he also needs to study so there would be no additional chores for him." The young princess stated triumphantly with an almost imperceptible smile on her face.

Over the whimpers of defeat and despair, Ayeka's voice was hardly audible as she uttered a question to her sister, "Sasami, can I just help you in the kitchen for you might need assistance with dinner?"

The younger princess thought about that for a moment before answering with her usual calm tone of voice, "Thank you Ayeka for offering but I think I can manage." Having used up her only escape route, Ayeka decided to join the other girls in the centre of the living room to discuss who should do what.

The next fifteen minutes were spent bickering and moaning about who would do what chore. Nobody was willing to sweep the blossoms from the shrine because it was the most time consuming task out of the four appointed to them. After another fifteen minutes of indecision, Ryoko came up with a solution to solve their problem.

It was simple; the person who drew the shortest straw would sweep the shrine, second shortest would clean the onsen, second longest would sweep the porch while the one with the longest straw got the leisure of vacuuming the living room. It was all supposed to be fair, until the space pirate drew the longest of the four and Ayeka noticed the nearly inconspicuous red spot on the tip of Ryoko's straw. Her anger was increased when it was her time to pick and by shear bad luck–and the pirate's tampering- she was landed with shrine duty.

Protests and accusations towards Ryoko were cut short as the space pirate phased out of site to avoid being responsible for yet another household destruction.

END FLASHBACK

Anger boiled within Ayeka as she thought back to the events of that afternoon while turning her head up towards the sky. Noticing the slight dimming of sunlight, the princess decided it was time to return back to face her never-ending task.

With a weary sigh, she pulled herself up off of the ground and headed towards the steps, readying herself to face the sight waiting for her at the top.

As Ayeka started to ascend the shrine steps, her memory drifted to something Ryoko had said earlier on that day.

_We all love Tenchi_; the princess repeated that statement in her head as images of the prince drifted into her mind.

After the Kagato incident, Ayeka and Tenchi had barely exchanged a few words to each other. True, she did still harbour feelings for him but they no longer felt as strong and insistent as they had once been.

When she had first laid eyes on Yosho's grandson her heart had done a leap whenever they passed one another or at the slightest contact of his touch on her.

Now, however, the very thought of looking at him made her feel uneasy. It had upset the princess and left her extremely confused when Tenchi decided to leave Jurai for his home planet, which was why she had returned. To retrieve answers and attempt to heal the wounds which had grown too deep for her to bear.

Being back on earth had brought about unexpected surprises however, when she came and found that Ryoko had also returned with Washu, her sister and the two galaxy police officers arriving soon after.

Ayeka thought life would settle back to the way it used to be before their encounter with Kagato, instead she came to learn that things had changed and she was now more at a lost with her feelings than she had been before her departure from Jurai.

Her and Ryoko would have arguments now and again but they were no longer about Tenchi, she had also noticed the subtle changes in the space pirate's behaviour towards the prince. There were still times when she would attempt to make physical contact with him but no longer hovered over him like an obedient dog to its master.

"Yes, we do all love Tenchi, unfortunately even that can turn into something more or something less. Nothing stays completely the same, I understand that now." It had hurt to admit that fact but saying it out loud had somewhat made her feel lighter much like a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

Ayeka wasn't sure which category she belonged to at the moment, something more or something less, but she was sure that in time the answer would become clearer to her. Or so she hoped.

When Ayeka finally finished her thoughts, she found that her feet had taken her within two steps from the top of the shrine somehow without her mind to guide them. Just as she was about to take the last couple of steps, an earth shattering scream attacked her ears so fiercely that it caused the princess to double over and cover her ears from the harsh assault.

As the noise was dying down, Ayeka recovered from the attack –with a slight tingling in her ears- and summoned her miniature guardians as she proceeded to walk up the rest of the steps in search of the thing or person responsible for the outbreak.

Ayeka's breath caught in her throat when she reached the top and found no impending attacker waiting for her, instead near the edge of the cliff was a figure lying on the floor curled up in a tight ball with their back to the princess.

The mass of cyan hair atop its head left no questions as to whom it was.

_Ryoko_. Ayeka thought with a mixture of horror and confusion.

Swallowing the increasing ball of panic developing in her throat, the princess took slow, careful steps towards the shivering form of the space pirate.

To be continued...

Hiya, sorry it took so long for me to update, I hit a snag in my train of ideas. It took ages for me to get a good idea of how to continue the story and stick with it. N e ways I hope u liked this chapter and be sure to review and tell me what you think of it.

P.s. No I'm not an Ayeka fan but I thought that my fic would flow better if I had Ayeka's P.O.V in it. I know that this chapter is not as angsty as the first one but there would be more angst in future chapters.


	3. From dark to light

Ok guys. It has been ages and I mean ages since I've updated but hopefully you guys will read it. I still remember the drill so here's my disclaimer- I do not own any of the Tenchi characters although I wish I did, I don't.

**From dark to light**

_Ryoko? Ryoko?_

The voice was like a sweeping caress against the hazy blackness of the space pirate's mind.

_Ayeka? What's-_

She attempted to open her eyes but found the pain so overwhelming that it made her gasp and fall back into darkness.

_Oh Ryoko please wake up. Please._The voice became more desperate, frantic and with new resolve Ryoko opened her eyes, fighting against the nausea that came with the sudden action.

Black. Nothing but stark, unforgiving black.

_Where am I? What happened to__ everyone? Ayeka! _The space pirate tried to stamp down on her panic but it was futile, she hated the dark. The last time Ryoko was in darkness, she was alone and she swore she would never go back. Ever. Terror was soon joined by frustration when her hope to cast some light with her energy sword died and she realized that her powers weren't working.

"_Ok Washu, if this is one of your stupid experiments you can be sure that I'll be-_ _ARGHHH!"_ Ryoko's spout of anger was cut short by the harsh jolt of pain behind her eyelids that travelled down her body.

The space pirate was still reeling from this recent assault to her senses when she realized she was no longer trapped in the black nothingness and was instead standing in the middle of a field surrounded by clear blue sky. She immediately knew where she was upon seeing the lush green grass and soft cherry blossom leaves falling from the trees. Gazing into the distance Ryoko caught sight of the figure of a young child in a blue dress facing away from her, the only clue to her identity being her striking cyan hair.

_What the hell's happening__? This has to be a dream. That's me and I'm back on Jurai so I must be dreaming. _She thought, attempting to rationalize this strange experience. Ryoko's curiosity peaked so she started to make her way towards her younger self. Just as she was approaching her goal, the smaller figure turned around and faced the space pirate with eyes that spoke of innocence, sadness, a wish to belong. Things Ryoko had all but forgotten about during all the years that had past.

The space pirate knelt down so that they were eye to eye, her smaller self's look of wonder and confusion was not lost on Ryoko who had questions of her own.

"_Hey little one, what are you doing out here all by yourself?"_

Her question was met by silence so she waited until the younger Ryoko finally spoke in a voice so full of hurt and defeat that it was painful for her older self to hear. _"I was waiting for someone but she didn't show up. Would…would you stay with me? I don't want to be alone anymore." _She was on the verge of tears as Ryoko made to embrace her.

"_Shhhh…You are not alone now, I am here." _She reassured knowing that it would only be true for a short while.

_So this is a memory. _Ryoko remembered this time in her life, only in reality there was no one there to hug her and tell her everything would be ok, that she was not alone. Instead she had waited and waited until someone had sent guards to take her away for trespassing on royal property.

_Why am I remembe__ring? Why now? _Questions were still swimming around in Ryoko's mind when she felt the familiar pain, this time starting from her abdomen and gradually getting more intense.

She held on tight to the small child as she let the darkness surround her once again.

----

Ayeka was bent over the still form of Ryoko, checking for a pulse while trying to rouse her from unconsciousness. Her attempts to wake the space pirate seemed to fall on death ears.

_Oh for the love of Tsunami, please let her be ok. _The princess prayed mentally to herself in a state of distress. Not knowing what else to do, she summoned her guardians for assistance. They appeared by Ayeka's side seconds after she had sent her mental request.

"Azaka, Kamidake, take us to Washu." She demanded trying to keep the urgency from her voice just as she and Ryoko were enclosed in a protective force field heading towards the lab.

----

Inside the room which used to be a utility closet, the sound of monitors and the blinking lights of machinery can be heard and seen within the dark enclosure. Amidst this stood the scientist Washu, her bright red hair a contrast against the backdrop of light emitted from a number of her experiments.

She was just typing in data from her latest project when she felt a change in the air around her, signalling the presence of another. Washu assumed it was Mihoshi since the blond airhead was constantly in her lab wrecking havoc. She was about to send a few of her more destructive inventions onto the intruder when a screen materialized in front her displaying the first princess of Jurai supporting a limp and unconscious Ryoko on her shoulder.

The scientist could sense that something was wrong as she teleported towards the two women.

----

It had been almost four days since Ayeka took Ryoko to Washu's lab and she was becoming restless. She had wanted to stay, to make sure the space pirate would be alright but Washu had said she needed to work alone and that Ayeka would just get in the way. In the end she had relented due to exhaustion and because someone needed to let the others know what was going on. The scientist had not come out since to tell them how Ryoko was doing and what was wrong with her.

Things went on as normal, Sasami cooked, Tenchi tended to the fields and the rest of them helped out with the chores but there was an air of unease around them. They were all worried about Ryoko and were anxious for news of her condition.

_S__top worrying. Ryoko will be ok. She has had her arm cut off and survived so she will be ok._ Ayeka repeated the mantra to herself for what must have been the twentieth time that day to stop her from thinking the worst.

She was once again at the top of the shrine steps wrestling with the wind and her broom to get the fallen cherry blossoms into bags. A few days ago, Ayeka would have been the most reluctant to clear the shrine but now all she wanted was something, anything to occupy her mind. She held out her hand to catch a falling pink petal. It made her think of Jurai and her childhood, back to a time when she had more obligations and rules to follow than any kid should be burdened with.

Ayeka was interrupted from her brief daydream by footsteps coming up the shrine steps. She turned towards the sound and saw Tenchi, his face flushed and his usual work attire grubby from the days work.

"Hi Ayeka. Sasami said to let you know dinner's ready." The prince said after taking a few seconds to recover his breath.

"Thank you Lord Tenchi, tell Sasami I'll be back after I finish here." In truth she wasn't very hungry, her stomach was in knots from worrying over the past four days.

Tenchi looked round at the piles of cherry blossoms still littering the ground knowing that it would take Ayeka at least another hour to sweep it all up by herself. He realized they had barely spoken to each other since the incident with Ryoko and Ayeka seemed to be avoiding him, not giving the prince a chance to start a conversation.

"Um… How bout I help you out, there's an extra broom by the shrine and you're more likely to finish before the sun sets with two sets of hands." Tenchi suggested hoping that Ayeka would accept his help. He felt like she was keeping all her feelings from the past few days locked inside and if she didn't let them out soon, she would surely break.

Ayeka was about to decline but one look at the sky told her that it would be dark by the time she finished and she was beginning to feel the strain of the day's exertions on her body.

"That would be great Lord Tenchi, thank you." She replied after a minute's hesitation.

They spent the next while sweeping and bagging cherry blossoms, neither of them talking. Tenchi was thinking about saying something to break the uncomfortable silence when Ayeka finally spoke.

"I found her here that day…lying on the floor." She began managing to keep the tremor from her voice. "I had never seen Ryoko so…broken, even when we were mortal enemies I never believed she would ever be so vulnerable, so close to death." This was the first time Ayeka had voiced these thoughts aloud to someone. When she had taken Ryoko to Washu, the scientist hadn't asked her how she had found the space pirate and the princess didn't volunteer the information.

The thought of Ryoko dying sent a feeling of dread into the pit of Ayeka's stomach so she carried on talking to distract herself from the sickening sensation. "Things were different after…after Kagato. Ryoko still aggravated me now and then but we no longer fought all the time. We have actually had a few civilized conversations together." The princess said with a sad laugh.

"I guess you can say me and Ryoko were becoming friends. I never really had any of those back on Jurai." Ayeka continued as she felt herself tearing up. She turned away from Tenchi, not wanting to see the compassion in his eyes. She didn't want to let the tears fall, knowing they will if she looked at him.

"Sasami said Washu would make her better and yet I cannot help but think…what if she couldn't and Ryoko…" Ayeka's throat tightened and she could not finish the sentence, almost acknowledging her fear out loud was difficult and she once again felt the tears threaten to fall.

The princess was about to politely end the conversation and get back to her task when she felt herself wrapped in Tenchi's embrace as he whispered to her, "Don't worry Ayeka, Ryoko is a fighter and she will get through this."

He's voice was so soft and so caring that it broke through what little control Ayeka still had. She clung closer to the prince and for the first time since the incident, she cried.

To be continued…

Hi guys. I know it has been quite a long time since I updated. Ok more like a few years but I guess you can say life and school kind of got in the way of fanfiction amongst other things. Well I have finally done chapter three so let me know what you guys think.

And before anyone starts to speculate, no I'm not making it into a Ayeka/Tenchi fic but I thought it was important to show how her relationship with both Ryoko and Tenchi have developed.

I will be updating more frequently until I finish this fic so keep tuning in.


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